The invention relates to machines and processes for removing consumable muscle and other products from poultry and other animals, and more particularly to machines and processes for removing the wings from the breast of poultry.
It is well known to use a machine for removing muscle from the carcass of poultry and other animals that have been raised for food. An example of this is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,918 to Martin. A video of conventional technology may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjL9UM8b8_U.
In some prior art machines and processes, a conventional cone line is used to transport poultry carcasses along the machine's components. The process starts with a carcass on each cone with the breasts facing upstream and the back facing downstream. Downstream is the direction the cones move toward. Typically one person loads the cones and, after the carcasses are on the cones, one or more others make shoulder cuts using hand-held knives to sever the tendons connecting the wings to the carcass.
Carcasses on cones may enter prior art machines at a lower region of an inclined structure where endless loop chains propel the wings of the carcass by grasping the wings between inclined, low-friction guides that the chains are mounted against and spaced tabs extending from the chains. The tabs may be spaced every 18 inches along the chains, which is similar to the distance between the cones. The chains are driven by one or more prime movers, such as electric motors.
Rails parallel to the path of the cones curve downwardly at entry to the inclined structure to guide the carcass toward the chains, and the top of these rails receive the undersides of the wings. Wheels that have radial tabs about every 30 degrees receive the wings at the end of the rails at the approach to the lower end of the inclined guides. This is where the carcass starts pivoting downstream. The wheels pick up each of the wings from the rails and seat them on the inclined guides. Tabs on the continuously moving chains are timed to immediately seat against the wings and begin to force the wings up the guides with the chains. The wings are thus placed between tabs and the guides and propelled downstream. The drumette segments of the wings are grasped between the chain tabs and the low-friction guides.
Poultry wings have three segments—the drumette, the mid-wing and the wingtip, and each has a bone and varied amounts of muscle and soft tissue. The drumette is the largest and the closest to the animal's body, while the wingtip is farthest and the smallest. All are connected to one another at joints by connective tissue. Typically, the drumettes are held between the tabs and the guides.
As the chains propel the wings and connected portions up the inclined guides, the cone that holds the carcass continues bending over in the downstream direction. This downstream and downward movement of the poultry carcass frame away from the downstream and upwardly-moving combination of the breast and wings continues to separate the readily-torn muscle holding the combination of the wings and the breast from the frame. As the cone continues to bend over, the cone and the frame pull completely away from the wings/breast combination. The carcass is removed beneath the inclined guides and is taken away separately.
As the breast hangs between the inclined guides, the guides support the bottom of the wings. The chains propel the wings/breast combination upwardly to an upper assembly that removes the wings from the breast. At the top of the inclined section, the prior art rotates the wings about 90 degrees and then simultaneously severs both wings from the breast using knives mounted on vertical axes of rotation, and the knives move in an up-and-down motion.
This process and mechanism, while superior to manual procedures, has room for improvement, including consistency in the amount of muscle left on each wing. As an example, these prior art machines cut the wings simultaneously away from the breast, and extend down from the top of the machine. This means both wings are cut under the same conditions of weight and angle. Therefore, the need exists for an improved breast deboning apparatus and process.